‘13 Reasons Why’ blamed for two teen girls’ deaths

Netflix series 13 Reasons Why ‘triggered’ two teenage girls to commit suicide, their families have said.

Bella Herndon and Priscilla Chiu, both 15, died after watching the controversial hit series, which tells the fictional story of bullied schoolgirl Hannah Baker, who recorded 13 tapes for the people who had a connection to her wish to end her life.

Herndon and Chiu lived in the same area but did not know each other. Both attempted suicide just four days apart, and their parents claim that they had been watching 13 Reasons Why and that the show was a trigger.

Herndon was just three days away from her 16th birthday when her parents found her body in her room on April 18. She had battled depression and been bullied, but it was thought that she was “happy” before her death.

Bella Herndon/Facebook

Herndon’s dad John Herndon told local California channel KTVU: “There’s no word that describes my contempt for the people that did this.

“You can’t convince me that they were trying to attract people’s attention to the issue of suicide by showing a little girl killing herself. There’s nothing positive about that.”

Four days after Herndon’s death, Chiu also took her own life. Her uncle, who said she had been suffering from depression, found her body. He described 13 Reasons Why as "graphic", saying "I feel as if the show gives only one alternative for cyber bullying and other teenage issues."

Priscilla Chiu

Netflix said: "Our hearts go out to these families during this difficult time.

"We have heard from many viewers that 13 Reasons Why has opened up a dialogue among parents, teens, schools and mental health advocates around the difficult topics depicted in the show.

"We took extra precautions to alert viewers to the nature of the content and created a global website to help people find local mental health resources."

After backlash following the release of the show, produced by Selena Gomez, Netflix added warning messages before episodes, and added links to support groups.